Yours truly was able to score 2 tickets so he could escort his lovely bride to the Alabama @ Arkansas game this 25 Sept. in the year of our Lord 2010. I am thrilled she is going to be able to attend her third Tide game this year. The only problem I anticipate is the fact I had to buy the tickets from the Tide ticket office which predictably means trouble for me. My wife went so far as to tell me she would not post bail for me, so I am left with appealing to 70,000 of my kin to assist if things get out of hand.
I have to tell you, and I have no doubt you are fully versed in the fact, this is one heck of a football team coming to town. Talent at every position, 3 deep in some areas and absolutely confident having not lost a regular season game since 2007. That is an impressive resume and matches up with the talent of the coaching staff. Their strengths are obvious. I witnessed the dismantling of Penn State with a little trepidation of the pending matchup between the beloved Hogs and this evil assembly.
Contrary to the opinion of the pundits, I believe the Hogs have the ability to matchup favorably with the Tide. Given time, Mallett could very well dissect this secondary. The Tide defense may well have overconfidence about them given the soft schedule they have executed against thus far. They Hogs gained an immeasurable surge of confidence with their comeback win against Georgia last week and that may well play into the game this week.
It is a simple game in the end. You hit your opponent, read your keys, execute with 100% effort on each play, and given that, you stand a good chance. Alabama knows the key to winning the game is to get pressure on Mallett so expect them to sell out on blitz packages and short coverage. If the O-Line can keep the dogs off, maybe with a little help from a back or two, Tiders might get burned a few times. It is almost like a service break in tennis. Arkansas needs to play this game like each possession is in OT.
Can they do it? The simple answer is yes. Here in Alabama, EVERYONE is laughing at the Hogs, giving them a chance of keeping it within 21 points. One person described the Alabama offense as “pro quality”. I guess the ones that went pro after last year and didn’t make it weren’t in that mold. I have no doubt that the dynamic duo in their backfield will go pro but with the emphasis on passing in the pro game they may not be impact players like they are in college. Remember, when you graduate to the big kid playground, everyone is as good as you. Arkansas can pull this off if;
1) They believe it
2) They WANT the game. Desire will beat talent if the team executes as they should.
3) They don’t let the hype rattle them.
Remember, the best team Alabama has played was a lower tier Big 10 team. You don’t hear people comparing Oregon with Alabama even though they have played as quality a schedule as Alabama and outshined them immeasurably. Oregon has outscored their opponents 189-13 with one being an SEC school. Alabama has outscored their opponents 134-13 but they are worshipped by SSPN (Saban Sports Programming Network). It was this conglomeration that beat Manning out of his trophy and handed it to Woodson. Someone should have went to jail over that.
I wish Paul Eels were still with us so I could hear his “Touchdown Arkansas” as the Hogs score late and stem the mighty Tide.